On a hot January afternoon, I took a stroll alongside Whakatāne’s river – and saw 10 kiwi. Small, dark brown, beautifully expressive birds, they were standing on rocks, by buildings, under seats. Tracking them down made for an entertaining hour. Before you start Google searching the changing habits of wild kiwi, these Whakatāne birds aren’t [...]
The Dunes Trail has made quite an impression since it was officially opened in mid-2012. It’s now journeyed by around 20,000 cyclists per year, plus many walkers and runners. Intrepid travellers, fitness enthusiasts, families, a Thursday-evening ‘bike, beer and BBQ’ group, youth groups, motorhomers, e-bikers, hand-bikers – they’re all out there enjoying it. Trail counters [...]
The Moutohora bridge is a truss design, with the supporting framework forming two giant crosses on each side. It’s the most striking remnant of a distant vision to link Gisborne and Auckland by railway line. This November, it’s 100 years since a Poverty Bay Herald journalist wrote about the opening of a new section of [...]
If you enjoy the energy and flow of tumbling water, put Rere Falls Trail on your plans. Meanings of ‘rere’ include: waterfall, to escape, and, to fly. All seem apt descriptors for this journey deep into the magnificence of Eastland. Under Nga Haerenga, The New Zealand Cycle Trail, Rere Falls Trail is a Heartland Ride. [...]
Over a sinuous 20km, the Pakihi Track twists from high on the Motu Road to a road-end south of Opotiki, in the eastern Bay of Plenty. The track was reopened after a mammoth effort in 2012. It’s part of the Motu Trails, one of 23 Great Rides on the New Zealand Cycle Trail. While the [...]
We don’t have long to wait before seeing something special on Whale Island (Moutohora). Within a couple of minutes of disembarking from our boat, the Moutohora Cat, our lead guide Jenny kneels down on the sand and points out kiwi footprints meandering through the tussock. “You’ll never find a kiwi walking in a straight [...]